Cleaning used baby toys

I've been buying certain toys at garage sales or thrift stores. I usually buy plastic toys that seem like they will be easier to clean. I want to be sure to clean them really well though before letting my baby play with them after she is born in Oct. Does anyone have any tips or secrets on how to clean baby toys without making them taste like cleaner. I don't know which is worse, germs or cleaner. Any ideas would be helpful. This is my first so still getting to know all these fun details.

[wantingtobepg]

my dr says that if it is something that can't be wrecked by a microwave then put it in for 1-2 mins and kill the germs with heat.  there's also a new cleaner that claims that it is safe to use when your baby is right there called Clorox Anywhere Spray.  i live in Canada and we don't have it here but it is available in the US as far as i know.

[JJety]

Yes, the Clorox Anywhere spray is great!

You can also give them a bleach/water soak.  Or run them through the dishwasher.  Dishwashers get hot enough for long enough to be effective at sterilizing anything in them.

[AnnieBrooke]

I keep a mix of bleach and water in a spray bottle to use for germy clean-up (more water than bleach by a long way); if sprayed on plastic and let sit for a while, then rinsed off, bleach kills germs very effectively.

[cutiemama]

I would stay far away from harmful/toxic cleaners if I were you. A run through the dishwasher is perfectly adequate. Bleach can prove fatal when ingested so I wouldn't dream of letting my baby put anything with bleach in her mouth. If anything, you can use the bleach/water solution and then run through the dishwasher.

[Peech911]

Pampers makes a cleaner called SPRAY AND PLAY (I think that is what is called). I have seen it at Walmart (in the baby section) and at Babies R Us. I am not sure if any of these are near you, but maybe look online to see if you can find what store near you carries it. I use it all the time. And it doesnt leave the yucky cleaner taste or smell.

[myproblem]

I put them in the dishwasher, or you can also wash them in lysol water. You know, the old yellow liquid Lysol that you have to dilute.

[rodburnercan]

What should daycare personal clean toys daily with? My wife has been using blaech and water. The smell is overwhelming when you do it daily and sometimes twice a day.

[Renogirl]

Daycare personnel use a bleach/water mixture - it takes such a minimal amount of bleach to disinfect anything - you should not really have an overwhelming smell of bleach and it should not be a high enough bleach content to hurt children - the suggestion for the dishwasher is a great one - when possible, I'd go with that